


The Dress with the Flowered Hem

by TopHatCat



Category: Kuroshitsuji : The Most Beautiful DEATH in the World - Iwasaki/Mori/Mari, Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Crossdressing, Dress, Love, M/M, Slingphries, otp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 02:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9528317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TopHatCat/pseuds/TopHatCat
Summary: Eric knows Alan wants to buy the pretty dress in the shop window, but his partner is refusing to admit the fact...





	

Eric stared at the endless shelf of salsa.

Black bean, green, jalapeño, mango… they were just a few of the ten thousand different kinds Eric assumed were on the shelf he was looking at.  He hadn’t even known there were this many different kinds of salsa in the world, let alone the grocery store he was now in.

“What the heck am I supposed to do,” he muttered, glancing down at his half of the list Alan had handed him before they parted at the store entryway.  Turning back to the salsa, he let out one or two quiet curses before randomly plunging his hand forward and grabbing the first two jars his fingers came in contact with.  The words and action caused a few nearby shoppers to look at him warily before hurrying off down the aisle.

Setting the salsa in his basket, Eric crossed it off the list, pleased to see it was the last thing on the paper.  All that was left to do was find Alan and check out.

When he reached the counter, his partner hadn’t arrived yet, so Eric stood a little bit to the side to wait.  Ten minutes later he saw Alan hurrying toward him, a bulging bag over his shoulder.

“Sorry I took so long,” he said when he reached Eric, who took the bag and set it on the counter next to the one he had filled.

“No problem,” Eric answered with a smile. “I wasn’t waiting that long.”

As the cashier checked out the food, Eric put the items into the bags and Alan picked up the jars of salsa.  “Black bean and… peach banana habanero…”

“I thought it sounded… interesting,” Eric said, grinning sheepishly when Alan raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well it certainly is… different,” the reaper admitted, placing the jars in the bag Eric held out.  He paid the cashier and Eric hooked the bags over his shoulders as they headed out of the store.

Outside, the afternoon sun sent a warm light over the street, and the August breeze was warm and friendly.  People milled here and there on the walk, many of them window shopping as they made their way through town.  A group of children darted past the two reapers, giggling and laughing, making Eric grin.

“Careful where you run, kids!” he called after them as they continued down the street.  Facing forward again, he turned his focus to the people going by.  Alan was watching the display windows they passed, but the tall reaper payed them no mind until he realized he was walking alone.

Looking back, he saw Alan had stopped in front of a large window filled with mannequins that showed off the styles of clothing inside the store.  To Eric’s surprise, the mannequins Alan was staring at wore women’s clothing.

“What’s up?” he asked, wandering back to Alan’s side and studying the item of clothing the reaper was looking at.  It was a simple white dress, with a knee-length skirt and three quarter sleeves.  The hem of the skirt was embroidered with tiny colorful flowers.

“It’s so pretty, isn’t it?” Alan asked, his eyes not leaving the dress.

“Yeah,” Eric agreed, confused.  He glanced at Alan and saw the reaper had the same look in his eyes that he got when he saw a new sort of flower he just had to plant in his garden.  It was an awed, excited look, but now it had a touch of desperation as well.  With a start, Eric realized Alan didn’t just think the dress was nice, he _wanted_ it.  The tall reaper had never thought of his partner as a crossdresser, but now, imagining Alan in the white dress, he suddenly got a warm feeling in his stomach and his heartbeat quickened.

“Do you want to buy it?” Eric asked, wondering how much money they had left.  But as soon as he spoke, he saw the question had shut all of Alan’s doors.

“Oh no,” the reaper said, letting out a small laugh, “Why would I want a dress? I just thought it would look nice on some random girl, probably.  Let’s go.”

Alan had gone into shield mode, a thing Eric recognized all too well as the mood the reaper went into when he was embarrassed or ashamed about something.  Eric knew he wouldn’t get anywhere by continuing the discussion at this point.  So he just nodded.

“Alright; the car isn’t far now…”

The rest of the evening passed normally enough, and Eric didn’t think about the dress again until late.  Then, just as he was drifting off to sleep, he remembered it.  Opening his eyes, he looked up at the ceiling, wondering if he should have pressed the issue.  Would Alan be happier if he had bought the thing?  Turning his head, he looked at his partner, curled up beside him.  The reaper’s face was peaceful enough, and Eric shrugged off the ideas.

‘ _Eh, he just fancied it a bit, that’s all.  It was rather pretty…’_

With that thought, he fell asleep.

I _IIIII_ I

When he entered the kitchen the next morning, Eric found an egg and toast on a covered plate and a note on the table.

_Went into town.  Forgot lemons.  Checked your schedule-you don’t need the car so I took it._

_Love you,_

_~Alan_

Eric tucked the note in his pocket, sat down at the table and began eating the egg.  A few minutes later he went to find the teapot and found three lemons tucked behind it.  After staring at them for a moment, Eric frowned.

Alan had lied to him about going into town, so what was he really up to?  Eric had a sneaking suspicion that he knew the answer, and gave up his tea making, instead heading toward the bedroom to get dressed.

Leaving the flat, he realized he didn’t have a car, and grabbed the bike leaning against the wall in the hallway.

“I’m taking your bike, Hayze,” he yelled through the first floor flat door.  There was a muffled response, which Eric chose to accept as an okay, and the tall reaper wheeled the bike out the door to the front gate and started down the street toward London.

I _IIIII_ I

Alan entered the clothing store feeling so nervous he almost went right back home then and there.

_‘I’m not going to buy it, so why am I here?’_

But he walked over to the window anyway.  The dress was in the same place as yesterday, and again it filled him with an urge he hadn’t felt in a long time.  He remembered years ago, when he was still human, playing with his sisters.  They had pretty dresses and he had played in the outfits just the same as them.  But for the years he had been a reaper, he hadn’t thought about wearing women’s clothing, not until he saw this dress.

Perhaps it was the simplicity, or the flowers, he didn’t know.  All he knew was that he wanted to try it on.

Glancing around, he didn’t see anyone so he slipped the dress off the mannequin and, folding it carefully over his arm, headed to the back toward the dressing rooms.  Once inside, he undressed and lifted the outfit up.  It looked like the right size, and Alan felt a rush of pleasure run through him when he slipped it on.  He couldn’t reach all the buttons in the back, but he could tell it was perfect.  Looking in the full-length mirror, he turned a bit, a prickle of joy running down his spine.  The skirt twirled when he moved, and the flowers created a little blur of color around his knees.

He loved it.

_‘But what on earth would Eric think?’_

The thought sobered his thrilled feelings at once and he looked at his reflection again.  With a sigh, he undid the buttons and took off the dress with the flowered hem.

I _IIIII_ I

Eric walked at a fast pace down the street, but when he reached the clothing shop, he slowed, looking at the window.  Sure enough, the dress was gone.

_‘Did he buy it?’_ the tall reaper wondered, but the though had hardly crossed his mind when he saw Alan coming from the rear of the store.  Ducking into doorway, Eric peered stealthily into the window again.

Alan was putting the dress back on the mannequin and Eric saw his upset expression as he adjusted the skirt so it hung correctly.  When it was perfect, the reaper stepped back, gazed at the outfit for a long moment, and then headed toward the door.

Eric ducked into the doorway, only peering out when he was sure Alan was gone.  Stepping out onto the walk, he looked at the dress again.

“I don’t know if this is the right thing to do,” he said quietly, “but I’m doing it anyway.”

Going into the shop, he went to the front counter and hit the little bell that sat on it.  A few seconds later a young woman came out from a rear door.

“May I help you?” she asked, seemingly unperturbed at seeing a man in a woman’s clothing store.

“How much for the dress in the window?” Eric asked, “The white one with the flowered edge.”

“Twenty-four pounds,” the woman answered, and Eric nodded.

“I’ll take it.”

The woman removed the dress from the mannequin and folded it neatly into a white box.  “Good pick, this one,” she said cheerfully.  “I’ve always liked it.  For your girlfriend?”

“Boyfriend, actually,” Eric replied, silently challenging her to cringe or sneer at the information.  However, the cashier smiled, trading the box for the money Eric handed her.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll look lovely in it!” she said. “Have a good day.”

“Same to you,” Eric replied, and left the shop.  As he walked back down the street, he looked at the box in his hands.  What would Alan say?  Would he think Eric was too impetuous, buying the dress for him?

“Too late to turn back now,” the tall reaper said to himself as he reached the bike.  “I’ll give it to him tonight.”

I _IIIII_ I

When Eric walked into the kitchen, Alan was sitting at the counter, reading the newspaper.

“Hey,” Eric began, but didn’t the chance to say another word before Alan glanced up.

“You saw the lemons.”

Eric was confused a first, then remembered the note. “Oh.  Yeah, I did…”

Alan pushed back his chair and stood, looking like he was going to cry.  “I shouldn’t have lied to you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Eric said, feeling bad.  He really didn’t mind.  He knew how awkward Alan must feel for him to hide the fact he liked the dress.  “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, it’s stupid!” Alan said, bursting into tears.

“Hey, hey,” Eric said, setting the box on the table and moving to Alan, gathering him in his arms.  Alan cried into his shirt, trying to speak, and Eric rubbed his back comfortingly.  “It’s okay, flower.”

“I just wanted-,” Alan said, “I wanted to go see that… that dress!”  He backed away from Eric, furiously rubbing his eyes.  “It’s stupid…”

“It’s not stupid,” Eric replied, sitting in one of the kitchen table chairs.  “Not at all.”

“I don’t want it!” Alan said, shaking his head.  “I won’t go back again.”

“You don’t have to,” Eric said, picking up the box.  Alan wiped tears from his eyes and looked at him.

“Hm?”

“You don’t have to go back to the shop,” Eric repeated, holding out the box.  Alan blinked at it for a moment before reaching out with shaking hands.  Eric watched him with a soft smile as he lifted the lid and saw the dress inside.  The reaper stared at it, and let out a tiny gasp.

“I love you, Alan,” Eric said, and Alan looked at him.  “That means I don’t care if you want to wear a dress.  It’s your choice and I’m going to love you whatever you choose.”

Now Alan was crying a different sort of tears and he went to Eric, wrapping his arms around the tall reaper.

“Thank you,” he sniffed, “I thought you’d think I was weird.”

“Never,” Eric said, kissing the top of Alan’s head.  Then he drew back and grinned. “So, you gonna show me how you look in it or not?”

Alan nodded enthusiastically and gathered up the box, before darting out of the room.  Eric sighed in relief and leaned back in the chair to wait for Alan’s return.

When the reaper did come back, Eric could tell the difference at once. Not just in attire, but in Alan’s whole self.  He was happy now, and it was obvious as he stood in front of Eric, shyly brushing the skirt so it hung right.

“How does it look?” Alan asked, and Eric grinned.

“It looks…” He searched for the right word.  Stunning, beautiful, amazing… all of the above… “Perfect,” he settled on. “You’re perfect.”

Alan smiled and blushed, lifting the hem just enough to make him seem even more adorable than he already was.

“Go on, spin in a circle,” Eric prompted, and Alan did, letting the skirt fan out in a ripple of fabric. The embroidered flowers blurred in a ring of color, accenting the snowy white of the cloth. 

“Beautiful!” Eric applauded and Alan laughed.

“Thank you so much!  I love it!”  He leaned in and kissed Eric tenderly on the cheek. “I love you.”

Eric was getting that feeling in his stomach again, so strong he was almost dizzy.  Rising to his feet, he stepped so he was face to face with Alan.  The smaller reaper looked up at him and Eric caught one of his delicate hands, wrapping his arm around Alan’s slender waist.

“It’s a shame,” he said, his voice lowering to the husky tone Alan recognized all too well.

“What’s a shame?” Alan asked as Eric kissed his cheek, then the sensitive hollow behind his ear.  A tingle ran all over his body as his partner drew him nearer.

“That you just got this dress,” Eric said, “And now I’m about to take you right out of it.”

Alan let out a gasp of surprise and pleasure as Eric suddenly scooped him up into his arms and headed for the bedroom.  Wrapping his arms around Eric’s neck and kissing the tall reaper’s cheek, Alan smiled.

“I don’t mind at all.”


End file.
